Ski rope tow gripping device



'Feb8 1944. R. E a I 2,340,868

SKI ROPE 'TOW GRIPPING DEVICE Filed Nov. 3, 1941 I INVENTOR. ROGER r E. 0 Y5 3y ATTORNEY,

Patented Feb. 8, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SKI RQPE TOW GRIPPING DEVICE Robert E. Dye, Oakland, Calif.

Application November 8, 1941, Serial No. 417,582

(Cl. 1042ll2) 1 Claim.

The invention, in general, relates to means for facilitating the safe conveyance of skiers from the bottom to the top of a hill. More particularly, the invention relates to a ski rope tow gripping means which is at all times under the full control of the skier.

In recent years a number of ski rope tow devices of various types have been made available to skiers as aids in reaching the summit of a hill,

such devices largely being of the type which includes a non-rigid connection between the body of a skier and the tow-rope of the rope tow apparatus. While a majority of these devices perform their intended purpose reasonably well, many of them are inherently dangerous to a skier because no effective means are provided therein for enabling a skier quickly to release himself from the rope tow and, as a result, a skier often is thrown and dragged considerable distances and is subject to becoming entangled in the rope tow driving apparatus at the top of the hill because of his inability to release himself. Moreover, there is additional danger to the skier in falling directly upon these devices due to their proximity and connection to the body which cannot readily or easily be avoided upon falling. Other of these devices presently in use are ineffective and disadvantageous because depending solely upon a friction grip of the tow-rope which results in frequent slippage along the rope and often actual dislodgement of the device from the rope.

A primary object of my'invention is to provide an improved ski rope tow gripping device which afiords a positive leverage grip upon the towrope in normal use; which permits not only ready attachment but ready removal from the rope; which does not slip along the rope; and which can be used with complete safety by the skier with no likelihood of being dragged along the ground or of becoming entangled in the driving apparatus of the rope tow due to inability of the skier from effecting a release from the rope.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the indicated nature which is adapted to be incorporated in and to form a part of a ski pole thus insuring positive and complete control of the device by the skier.

A still further object of my improvement is to provide a relatively small, compact ski rope tow gripping means which in use is never in such proximity to the body of a skier as to give rise to injury by chance falling thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide ski rope tow gripping means for a skier which is incorporated into a ski pole and hence obviates the necessity of a skier being burdened with additional equipment or excess baggage.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved ski rope tow gripping device which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and relatively simple to incorporate in a ski pole.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in a preferred embodimentof my invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. It is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the precise embodiment shown, nor to the 'pre-. cise arrangement of the several elements thereof, as'my invention,,as fully defined in the appended claim, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure '1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention as incorporated in a ski pole and as used.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrating the gripping action of the device upon a ski tow-rope.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention as fitted to a'ski pole, shown in fragmentonly, this viewshowing the leverage action of the device applied on a ski tow rope.

Figure 4 is a front elevational View of 'the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the embodiment-shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

In its preferred form, 'the'ski rope tow :grip+ ping device of my invention preferably comprises, in combination with a ski pole, a body having a channel formed therein for receiving and clamping a portion of said pole, together with a pair of depending, opposed tow-rope gripping elements on said body arranged in spaced relationship for passing and partially encompassing the tow-rope; said gripping elements being adapted to exert a leverage gripping action on the tow-rope when affixed to a ski pole and the pole is grasped and held either in front or in back of a skier with the pole substantially normal to the direction of travel of the tow rope.

As particularly illustrated in Figures 3 to 5 of the drawing, I provide a body II which is preferably cast from a light-weight metal, such as aluminum, or which can be fabricated from a relatively hard wood, or from a phenolic or urea condensate or other metal as desired. The body H is so formed as to provide a channel [2 therein which extends from side to side of the body and is open at both ends for passing a portion of a ski pole l3, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing. It is to be understood that the body I I can be formed integral with the ski pole l3, if desired, or the body can be formed separately and be detachably fastened to the pole. The embodiment of my invention depicted in the accompanying drawing has been designed for detachable connection to a. pole and, to this end, I have provided onbody- H a pair of opposed, upstanding lugs l4 and I5 which are pierced by a screw it upon which a nut I! may be turned for firmly attaching the body [I to the pole l3. In this connection, I preferably form a cavity It in body H for the reception of nut l1 and thus prevent movement of loosening of the nut accidentally after the body has been fastened to the pole l3 and the screw l6 tightened. Preferably, the body H is disposed on the ski pole l3 adjacent to the hand-grip thereof in order that the device will be remote from the body of the skier thus obviating all possibility of injury to the skier of falling on the device.

In accordance with my invention, the body II is provided with a pair of opposed ski tow-rope gripping elements 2| and 22 which depend from the body below the channel I 2 thereof and which preferably are so formed as to define an opening 23 therebetween for the passage of a tow-rope 24. Of course, the body II with its gripping elements can be cast or formed to accommodate any size or style tow-rope. Preferably, the gripping elements 2| and 22 of body Hare so formed thereon that they each extend angularly from below the channel l2 of the body with their free extremities disposed on opposite sides of the axis of the channel, as clearly shown in Figure 5 of the drawing. Moreover, the inner edge 26 of each of the gripping elements 2| and 22 is arcu-ately formed so as to define a substantially circular opening between the two elements at their inner edges just below the channel l2. Further, each gripping element 2| and 22 is so extended and curved that the outer extremity, or toe 25 of each element, will lie under a portion of the ski tow-rope at opposite sides thereof, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing. By this construction and with the body fastened upon or as an integral part of a ski pole I3, a skier can readily engage a ski rope tow with a leverage action upon the tow-rope thereof by first grasping the tow-rope and slipping the gripping elements 2| and 22 over the tow-rope with the ski pole l3 held at an oblique angle to the rope forwardly of the body and then bringing the ski pole into a position normal or at right angles to the ski tow-rope, as shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing. The leverage gripping action exerted upon the tow-rope by the elements 2| and 22 of body I will slightly bend the rope but not to such an extent as to'disturb its normal travel or to in any way injure the towrope.

With the ski rope tow engaged, as above described, and the ski pole l3 gripped firmly in the hands of the skier so as to hold the pole at right angles to the direction of travel of the ski towrope, a skier will be drawn safely to the summit of a hill by the moving rope tow. In the event of any accident along the length of travel of the ski tow-rope, such as a skier falling or becoming entangled because of a failure to release himself from the rope, a skier employing the device of my invention simply need only drop the ski pole I3 and the gripping elements 21 and 22 will assume a position that automatically will release the body I from the tow-rope, thus avoiding any throwing of the skier or dragging along the ground. It will be clear that at the summit of a hill, or at any point desired, a skier using my device can readily release himself from the rope tow by moving his ski pole forwardly from the body so that the gripping elements 2| and 22 will assume an angle other than when the pole is held normal to the tow-rope, and then the body H can be simply lifted from the tow-rope.

It is to be understood that the appended claim is to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate in scope with the advance made over the prior art.

I claim:

A ski rope-tow gripping device for attachment to a rod or a ski pole or the like, said gripping device consisting of a body having a channel formed therein in which a portion of a rod or ski pole may be disposed, means on said body for securing the same to a rod or ski pole, and a pair of rope gripping elements on said body depending angularly from opposite ends of said channel i with the outer extremities thereof lying on opposite sides of the axis of said channel; each of said rope gripping elements being curved inwardly on its outer extremity whereby the outer extremities of said elements will under-lie a ski tow-rope at opposite sides thereof and will exert a leverage action on the tow-rope when a pull is exerted on a rod or ski pole carrying said body with said rope gripping elements engaging the ski tow-rope.

ROBERT E. DYE. 

